Lucky
by oreocheesecakes
Summary: Aang and Katara's tenth year anniversary. Basically a merciless Kataang fluff bomb.


**A/N: A Kataang fluff bomb written for tumblr user tale-wind as part of the Avatar Secret Santa gift exchange on tumblr. Also probably the fluffiest thing I've written to date.**

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

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><p>"Where are we going?" a blindfolded Katara asked, stumbling in the dark. "Woah!" Her foot had caught on something, and she would have fallen flat on the ground if Aang hadn't pushed her back up with a blast of air.<p>

"Shh, we don't want to wake the kids!" Aang whispered, pulling her by the hand.

She sighed. "But we're still on the island, right?" She started to pull at the piece of cloth wrapped around her eyes.

"No peeking! Just a little more," he said, leading her by the hand. "And . . . here we are! You can look now."

She quickly untied the knot at the back of her head, but upon taking off the blindfold, however, she was greeted by nothing but darkness. The salty smell of the sea told her that they were somewhere near the edge of Air Temple Island, but the grass under her feet told her that they weren't by the shoreline. Probably the garden on top of the cliff where Aang meditated? But there wasn't really anything special about that place . . .

"Um . . . Aang?" She squinted, barely making out the features of the figure in front of her. "What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Just watch." He shot her a quick grin before he turned his back to her, his teeth flashing in the night. Still puzzled, she watched as he took a deep breath, and much to her shock, suddenly began shooting fire out of his fingertips in what seemed to be random directions.

A surge of panic went through her, and she was about to stop him when she noticed that although the fire seemed to have caught on some things in the dark, it didn't spread and was even controlled. She glanced back at her husband, and upon seeing the look of focus on his face, she realized that every move he made was actually precisely aimed.

He stopped a short while later and turned around to face her, smiling. "Happy tenth anniversary, sweetie." He stepped aside, and Katara gasped at the sight that greeted her.

On the grass was a blanket, and sitting on top of it were two bowls of moon peaches and sea prunes and a plate of fruit cake, all touched by the soft glow of a surrounding two dozen candles. The little picnic was set up on top of the island's cliff, overlooking a magnificent view of Republic City's lights against the mountainside. The full moon reflected beautifully on the waters of Yue Bay, making the whole thing look absolutely picturesque.

"You like it?" he asked.

"I love it! And I've never seen you firebend like that before! How—"

"One of Zuko's exercises," he explained. "Actually came in pretty handy."

She smiled wryly. "Well, that's some exercise. Do you think he's ever used that to impress someone?"

He shrugged. " I don't know." After a moment, he peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Are . . . are _you _impressed?"

His uncertainty entire made her smile—it was something about him she had always found endearing. "I don't know," she said coyly, taking his hands. "Maybe?"

He pouted, aware that he was being teased. "Katara," he whined, making her laugh.

She freed a hand and placed it behind his head, pulling him closer as she tiptoed up to give him kiss on the lips. "Does that answer your question?" The Avatar could only manage a nod, still a bit in a daze.

She smirked at the wild blush on his cheeks. "It's nice to see that I still do that to you, even after ten years."

Aang simply shook his head, smiling as if he had some kind of inside joke. "What?" she asked.

"Nothing. Just that even after ten years, you still don't get just how hopelessly in love with you I am."

She turned scarlet at this, and Aang grinned triumphantly at her, making her heart flutter. "Well, looks like we're even," he said.

She rolled her eyes, punching his arm lightly. "Let's just get to that picnic you set up."

He chuckled, looping his arm through hers. "Sure thing, sweetie."

"This is nice," Katara sighed, lazily taking a bite of her moon peach. They were cuddled on the picnic blanket, just having finished a dinner of sea prunes (half of which Aang forced down his throat while a laughing Katara watched). "It's been a while since we were able to just relax like this."

"Tell me about it," Aang sighed, breaking off a piece of fruit pie and tossing it into his mouth. "The past few months have been nothing but meetings, dealing with uprisings, and basically trying to pull Republic City together. I haven't even been able to manage things on the island lately."

"It's all right. Everything's fine here, sweetie," she said, kissing him on the cheek. "The acolytes are doing a great job, and I help them out at night—"

"Wait, don't you have work at the hospital?" he interrupted.

"Oh, I adjusted my work hours so I finish right around the time the kids are dismissed from school," she explained, nibbling her moon peach absently. "That way I can bring them home, cook dinner and tuck them in, then help out around the island after their bedtime. Haven't I told you this before?" Her brows furrowed.

"No." He shifted uneasily. "What time do you sleep?"

"Usually around midnight. It depends on whether or not there's a late night emergency at the hospital. But I get enough sleep," she added quickly, upon seeing the shame on his face.

"No, you don't." Katara bit her lip as his eyes focused just below hers. "You've got bags under your eyes."

"So do you, Aang. It's normal—"

"I'm so sorry, Katara," he said, hanging his head. "I didn't mean—"

"Hey, it's okay," she reassured him, resting a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "We haven't had any major problems in quite a while, but Bumi pulls a prank every now and then to keep things exciting."

That diverted his attention. "Pranks?"

"Yeah," she said, inwardly sighing with relief. "The other day, he replaced some of the acolytes' shaving cream with that new hair growth cream," Katara rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hold back a giggle. "I grounded him, but when the kids and I were alone, we couldn't help but laugh. You should've seen the look on the acolytes' faces, Aang."

Aang laughed lightly, much to her relief. "That little trickster."

"You're one to talk." Katara poked him. "He obviously didn't get his prankster tendencies from me."

He held up his hands defensively. "Hey, most of the time, Monk Gyatso just threw fruit cakes at the elders. But that prank Bumi pulled? Pure genius." He shook his head in admiration.

"You'd better not let him hear you say that. He doesn't need the encouragement," Katara warned him. "His teacher told me that he's one of the smartest kids in the class, and would probably get top marks if he weren't getting sent to the principal's office all the time."

"Wait, there was a parent-teacher conference?" His easy tone had disappeared once again. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"You were in Ba Sing Se at the time, sweetie," she said apologetically. "You couldn't have come anyway."

He sighed, and it hurt Katara to hear the frustration and defeat in that one sound. Aang was always such a different person when he was down, and she hated seeing him blame himself for things that were out of his control.

In an effort to distract him, she shifted the conversation to lighter things. "You know, Kya learned the waterwhip the other day. Imagine, four years old and on her first try," she said, pride filling her tone. She checked his face expectantly for a similar emotion, but was rewarded with only a slight smile.

"She has a great teacher," he said, and the faraway look in her eyes didn't escape her.

She tried again. "I can't take all the credit. She's a natural—just like her dad." She kept the smile plastered on her face, desperate to bring back the earlier lighthearted mood.

Instead of putting him at ease, however, her words seemed to only upset him further. "Mmm," he mumbled carelessly, still not looking her way and staring at the ocean instead.

She couldn't take it anymore. "Aang . . ." She set down her fruit and brought a hand up to his face, guiding his eyes to hers. "What's wrong?"

He sighed again, his shoulders slumping. "Katara, this is my first night off in months."

She felt a pang of sadness at his words, remembering being half-awake at ungodly hours and seeing Aang just coming home, as well the early mornings where she opened her eyes to find him already gone, making her question whether or not his presence was merely a dream. Even with Sokka heading the council and Toph manning the police force, the burden that fell on the Avatar's shoulders was still heavy, and with Zuko busy in the Fire Nation and the people still trying to adapt to a United Republic, it was worse than ever.

"I hardly even see you or the kids anymore," he continued. "You're all asleep when I get home, and it's the same when I leave for work. And that's not counting the times I leave for meetings with Zuko or the Earth King, or to deal with some rebels." He closed his eyes, and Katara wanted nothing more than to take away the misery and tiredness that emanated from him. "But the point is, you're left all alone to take care of the kids and run the island, something we should be doing _together. _And you have to juggle that with your hospital duties."

"Aang—"

"Katara, I don't want to have to hear about what happens to the kids from you. I want to be there when it happens, see it firsthand. I already missed at least one of their birthdays and their first steps, and now I found out that I don't know anything about how Bumi's doing in school or what waterbending moves Kya's learning. All because of my duties as the Avatar." He clenched his fists. "I haven't been around for you or Kya or Bumi. I—"

"Aang." She took his face in her hands. "Look at me."

Thundercloud eyes, anguished and guilty, moved up to meet her blue ones.

"The kids and I love you," she said softly. "And we know you love us to bits. You don't have to be so hard on yourself."

"I wanted to give you a good life," he said regretfully. "I wanted to raise a happy family with you, give the kids everything we didn't have."

"And you are. We live on a lovely island, and the kids are growing up in a peaceful world with two parents—more than either you or I had. As for me, well, I know what I signed up for when I married you." The corner of her mouth pulled up in a half-smile. "It's definitely not an easy life, but it's one with you, and that's enough to make me happy. I mean, we all wish you were around more often, but we also understand that you have a duty to the world."

"I wish it didn't have to be like that."

"But if you weren't the Avatar, we wouldn't even have met," she reminded him. "It's just the way things are, sweetie."

He sighed. "I know. It's just . . . I know how it is to be doing so much at the same time, and I don't want that to happen to you."

She laughed a bit. "I used to look after my whole tribe, remember? I can manage," she assured him. "We both just have to work together to make this work. And do you really think I'm going to give up now?"

He looked into her eyes, which had that spark of determination he had always admired. The corner of his mouth pulled up—Katara was never one to give up. "No."

"And you're not giving up either, right?"

"Never," he whispered.

"Then we're good." She kissed his cheek. "Now stop worrying, Aang. Tonight's supposed to be a happy one."

He smiled at her. "You're right. I'm sorry, sweetie. We should enjoy the rest of the night."

"And I know the perfect way to do that." She shot him a quick smile as she started to get up, leaving him on the ground to watch her curiously.

"What are you—"

"Take my hand," she said with a playful smirk, holding out her hand for him.

Aang rolled his eyes, but he couldn't help but crack a grin at the not-so-déjà vu. "Okay."

When they were both on their feet, Katara led him to a spot on the grass a few feet away from the picnic blanket. With his hands around her waist and hers around his neck, they moved to their own rhythm, accompanied only by the sound of crickets chirping and the waves gently crashing on the island.

He spun her around a few times, and their laughter rang in the darkness, washing away all the earlier tension. It had been so long since they had just gotten to enjoy themselves like two sappy teenagers—no kids to worry about, no hospital to manage, no city to run. There was no Avatar or master waterbender; just Aang and Katara, dancing under the star-studded sky.

After a few more turns, they finally slowed to a gentle swaying, just moving from side to side. With the way they looked at each other, it was impossible to doubt the powerful connection between them, the love that they shared. And it wasn't just the romantic kind—it was friendship and partnership, for they had been through so much together and understood each other so well.

The pair kept their eyes on each other, completely forgetting everything else around them. And there, with silver gazing into sapphire, was the first time he really saw her that night.

Like the waterbender she was, she glowed under the moonlight, radiant and powerful. Her ocean eyes, emphasized by the dark of the night, were even more captivating with the reflection of flames dancing in them. They held him like a magnet, never having lost their ability of making him go weak in the knees. A cascade of wavy black-brown hair fell just below the betrothal necklace he had given her all those years ago, softly framing her features, and the light blue dress she wore, though hardly anything fancy, accentuated her form perfectly, clinging to her curves and adding a touch of elegance to her already graceful figure.

Aang let out a quiet sigh. She was absolutely riveting, spellbinding—a goddess in her own right.

But what he found most stunning about her wasn't her looks—it was the mere fact that the ethereal beauty in front of him was _his. _The handcrafted necklace that fell to her chest proved that. Their children, the way she was looking at him was evidence. He didn't deserve her, and she didn't deserve the life he had given her, yet she still chose him over and over again. She was strong and kind and passionate and beautiful—Aang had known all these from the day he had first met her, yet her near perfection never ceased to amaze him.

"You're breathtaking," he murmured, delicately brushing back her hair from her face.

Even in the dark, Aang could see the blush on her cheeks that made her even lovelier. He found it quite amusing, actually, that she was still just as used to his compliments as he was to her beauty. "You're an airbender," she countered. "That's impossible."

"And that's what makes you exceptional."

She let out a short laugh, her sweet breath blowing onto his face, intoxicating him. "After two children, you can really say that?" she said, a smile coming to her lips.

He chuckled. "Of course. You could be coated in mud and dressed in potato sacks, but you'd still by beautiful, sweetie."

"You flirt," she said, shaking her head and smacking him lightly on the shoulder.

He pulled back a bit, his face contorting in mock hurt at the accusation. "Flirt? I'm just a simple monk."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Can't count how many times I've heard that excuse."

"Ah, but it's true. I'm a charmer, not a flirt."

She rolled her eyes once more, yet at the same time wondered when her husband had turned from a blushing, adorable stutterer into a handsome young charmer. Not that she was complaining, though.

"Hey, _you_ married me," he said, a teasing smirk on his face.

She smiled. "Ten years ago," she recalled fondly. It seemed like only yesterday that they were young and flustered and getting ready to spend the rest of their lives together. "And I'm so glad I did."

Katara felt him pull them to a stop, and he pulled her closer until their faces were only inches apart, the proximity sending her heart racing. "You have no idea how happy you just made me," he whispered.

"Oh?" she said, her eyes glinting. "Enlighten me."

His mouth twitched, and he brought a tattooed hand to her face, caressing her cheek and sending a shiver down her spine. His touch had always been light as a feather, tender and careful as if he were handling not one of the strongest waterbenders in the world, but a precious gem, rare and breakable.

Before she had time to think, he touched her forehead to hers, locking her with that argentine gaze. He cupped her face with one hand and gently tilted her face up so he could press his lips to hers.

She should have seen it coming. And to be honest, after ten years of being married to him, she should have been used to it by now.

But he always managed to knock her breathless.

There was this way he kissed her, full of love and adoration, and it always made her feel beautiful. Aang had a habit of making her feel selfish and spoiled, but also somehow like there was nothing wrong with that. He tasted of fruit pies and starlight, and there, wrapped in his strong arms, she had never felt safer or more secure.

It was rare that she simply had him to herself like this, so she pulled him even closer, standing on tiptoe so she could kiss him back properly. She felt his lips curve up into a smile, and too soon, he pulled away, but only to kiss the top of her head. Relaxing at the contact, Katara shifted her position so her arms were around his torso instead. She nuzzled his neck, closing her eyes and listening contentedly to the sound of their ragged breaths and racing hearts.

"It's been quite a while," he said, his voice muffled by her hair.

She smiled. "Yes, it has."

He laughed quietly, his warm breath tickling her scalp. "Maybe we should sit down now?"

"Fine with me." They untangled themselves and made their way back to their little picnic blanket, hand in hand. As soon as they were seated, however, Katara cuddled back into him, and Aang instantly wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to him.

"You couldn't have planned a more perfect night, Aang," she said, sighing contentedly.

"Well, the dancing was your idea," he pointed out. "But I'm glad you like it. I wanted my thank you to be perfect."

"Thank you?" She raised an eyebrow, looking up at him. "For what?"

"Oh, a lot of things." He shifted so he could hold her gaze. "For getting me out of that iceberg, for example, or for literally bringing me back from the dead. For believing in me, for being with me all these years, for two beautiful children. For saying yes," he said softly, reaching out to hold the pendant hanging around her neck, a light blue disc he had carved ten years ago.

She rolled her eyes affectionately. "Aang, _you_ carved this." She put a hand over his. "You ended the Hundred Year War, and you were the one who changed my life. You're a great dad and husband, and that's on top of being the Avatar—I don't know why you feel so indebted to me."

"Probably because I can hardly believe any of this is real half the time." He chuckled. "Being with you, marrying you, raising a family and growing old together—you don't know how much I've wanted this. And to see it actually happening." He shook his head in wonder. "It's like this is all a dream I'm scared I'll wake up from."

"I know the feeling. But what I don't know is that growing old thing you're talking about," she huffed indignantly, crossing her arms. "We haven't aged a day."

"Really?" He raised an eyebrow. "This growing beard of mine is telling me otherwise."

Katara laughed, gently planting a kiss on his stubble. "Keep it. It suits you."

"Hm. You like me with hair, don't you?"

She simply closed her eyes and leaned against his chest in response. "Hm." She shrugged, but the ghost of a smile that played on her lips gave her away.

They stayed like that for a while, not talking and simply enjoying each other's presence. There was beauty in stillness and quiet, after all, for movement and noise were the very things that woke you up from dreams.

However, the silence had to be broken at some point, and it was Katara who chose to do it. "We're lucky, aren't we?"

"We are." His grip on her tightened. "I tell myself that every time I see you and our two kids."

There was a short pause before Katara spoke again. "What if I told you that you're about to get luckier?"

"Huh?" Aang pulled back, and she shifted so she was sitting properly again, grinning at his confused expression.

She took his hands and placed them just below her abdomen. "Make that three kids."

Aang blinked repeatedly, standing up and trying to process her words. "Wait, wait, you mean we're—you're—"

He was cut off by her laughing as she got up as well. "You thought I didn't have a gift for you? I'm pregnant, Aang. We're having another baby," she said, her blue eyes glittering with excitement.

"When—"

"I found out just a week ago." She smiled up at him. "Happy anniversary, sweetie."

Unable to contain his joy, he pulled her roughly into his arms, lifting her and spinning her around in a hug. As they celebrated the news of the latest addition to their family with a happy kiss, Aang couldn't help but think how right Katara was.

He was far luckier than he had ever imagined.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay, fluff isn't exactly my expertise, so constructive criticism is always much appreciated! ^_^ (I think I went overboard at some point xD)**


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